It’s been more than a year since staffers at manga publisher Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had formed a union. To the surprise of many — including, potentially, the union itself — the publisher reversed earlier attempts to bust the union and instead voluntarily recognized the union within a couple of months of its formation. At that point, the group entered the negotiation process and… things went understandably quiet.

Until now. The group announced that it has ratified its first contract with the publisher, even as Popverse was reaching out for an update. Keep reading to find out how the company has changed since the union was announced, and what happened after the union was recognized by the publisher…

The following interview was conducted via email, with the group speaking as one unified collective unit at their request.

(Note: United Workers of Seven Seas is made up of the staff of Seven Seas Entertainment, not its creators. Instead, it is a group of production artists and workers, editors, and other individuals employed as staff by Seven Seas to package the books for publication. Under U.S. labor law, only employees, not freelancers, are allowed to unionize.)

Popverse: It’s been some time since we’ve had any updates from UW7S. I know you’ve been at the bargaining table for some time; is there a way to offer a status update that doesn’t reveal private information that would upset negotiations?

United Workers of Seven Seas: We were at the bargaining table for ten months, but now have a tentative agreement! Our vote to ratify our contract passed with 96% of the union voting “yes” to ratification.

We will be releasing more details about our contract on our social platforms and website.

What would the group say has been the most obvious takeaway from the experience of forming the union and this long road to ratification and beyond? Has it been a positive experience, no matter how difficult?

It’s a lot of work. Organizing a group of employees, polling everyone’s needs to bring to bargaining, writing contracts, updating contacts lists… Unionizing has been like a second job for those of us on the committee. However, it’s rewarding work once you have that final contract in hand.

Do you have advice you’d offer staff at other publishers looking to follow in your footsteps?

Knowledge is power — do your research! Speak with other unionized workers and sit down with your union rep(s) to make sure you understand the entire process before you get to the bargaining table.

Unlike Image Comics and the CBWU, Seven Seas voluntarily recognized the union. What has the attitude towards the unionization efforts and subsequent negotiations from the publisher?

Originally, the president was insistent on having a vote, and we were fully prepared to go through the whole ballot process as we already had majority support. However, due to our union going public shortly before a planned public appearance by the company at Anime Expo, the president turned around and recognized our union in an effort to avoid fans picketing our booth.

Despite voluntary recognition, management has not expressed any enthusiasm or support for the union.

Did the work environment change noticeably since the formation of the union?

Management’s relationship toward their labor force changed significantly. Certain employees were suddenly considered managers despite little or no oversight of other employees. The president began to rescind job opportunities to other employees, take away responsibilities, or deny employees access to information needed to do their jobs efficiently. For example, editorial and production no longer receive the dates when books are due at the printer, making it difficult for those employees to prioritize their workloads.

There has been a lot of turnover and burnout due to high workloads as well. More than 16 employees ended up leaving the company since the union went public. Seven Seas used to pride itself on low turnover. As a result, our union is smaller than when we began the process, and fewer union-eligible employees have been hired to replace the ones who left. The publisher and associate publisher have both been reluctant to act on minor issues before consulting with their new legal team.

Has the union effort affected the work environment and atmosphere amongst staffers?

A lovely side effect of organizing is really getting to know the people you work with. Seven Seas is a fully remote work place with no central office, so union channels have been a place where we can have 'watercooler chats' with coworkers we may not have ever interacted with otherwise. We’ve had Secret Santas, big book giveaways, voice chats, and even have a morning stretch routine group!

We’re at a point culturally where unionization and collective bargaining issues are very widespread, and undergoing a significant amount of public support — the WAG/SAG-AFTRA strikes, etc. What does this moment feel like to UW7S? Does it feel as if you’re more likely to succeed as a result?

The wave of union news coming out is really invigorating. You feel like you’re part of something larger, and seeing companies like Image and Paizo unionizing was a big influence on the starting days of our own organizing efforts. As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats,” and that’s just as true with unions.

How could comic book readers, and the general public, best support your efforts? Is there direct or indirect action they can take themselves to take full advantage of what’s happening?

The vocal support for UW7S at our launch was (we believe) a vital part of our early voluntary recognition. The strength of so many voices saying, “I support this union” cannot be understated. So many people were willing to boycott when we announced, but without our fans, there’s no business and therefore, no union! So ultimately it’s their continued support of Seven Seas that we can thank for our success. Showing your support for a business going through unionization is the best thing you can do, whether it’s through your wallet or your voice.

More information about the United Workers of Seven Seas can be found via their website.

Can comics get it together to unionize and change the way the industry works?